SP Rides: Just The Right Fit
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Year, make, model: 2018 Subaru WRX STi
Owner: Shayne Javier
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Hobbies: Cars, breakdancing
Color: Pearl White
Engine: Manley H tuff rods, Manley H tuff pistons, King race bearings, King main bearings, Moroso oil pickup, ETS front mount intercooler, FP green HTZ Turbo, FP Turbo Inlet, Cobb 4 bar map sensor, Speed Density, Competition Stage 3 clutch, Tial BOV, Process West Radiator Shroud, Tomei TI catback, Invidia Catless downpipe, Grimspeed up-pipe, Tial 38 mm EWG, 1050 cobb Injectors, AEM 320 lph fuel pump, Grimspeed 3port EBCS, Spectre turbo filter, Cobb access port
Exterior: Tint, OEM front lip, OEM sideskirt extensions
Interior: Likewise shift knob, Vertex wheel, NRG hub
Suspension: Airlift 3p, Out Of System Slammed Series Plates, RacerX rear upper control arms
Wheels/tires: 18-inch Blitz 03 Wheels, NEXUS NFERA SU1 tires
Fresh outta high school, Shayne Javier’s first ride was an automatic 2008 Honda Civic LX. Although it wasn’t much performance wise, it happened to be a gift from his parents, so who was he to complain? He worked with what he could as far as the appearance was concerned. However, soon, he began to hit the modification wall.
To truly up his game, after a couple years, he stepped behind the wheel of this 2018 Subaru WRX STi and watched as the potential for change became stratospheric. The main goal of his build is to get it to Super Street status so he’s in it for the long haul. He’s already halfway there though with this current build.
He’s most proud of the fitment — he views it as an accomplishment to have a car this clean with some of the sickest tuck you can find on a Subie.
“Having nice wheels on a car isn’t the end of it. It takes a lot of time, research, trial and error to get a ride to sit perfectly flush for that lip to fender look,” Javier said. The tuck is truly epic as this ride sits perfectly on the Airlift 3P suspension kit. The original Blitz 18-inch 03 wheels truly make a statement and look fantastic in contrast to the clean pearl white exterior.
The front of the ride may be a little confusing for some. It’s actually a 2017 front that’s been swapped thanks to Javier’s love of the original look. An OEM front lip has been added as well as the side-skirt extensions. Combined, it keeps it clean and simple, yet destined for greatness.
Performance hasn’t been ignored, however. This engine has had a large investment put into ensuring it has the potential for greatness after Javier ups the boost.
The internals have all been swapped out with Manley H and King components and a laundry list of supporting modifications such as the AEM 320lph fuel pump, 1050 Cobb injectors, and the ETS front mount intercooler. An FP Green HTZ Turbo has been added as well with the important supporting mods, so this STi is no longer at a stock performance level.
Driving behind this beast isn’t a Sunday drive as the snap, crackle, pop of the exhaust can attest to. Flames almost a foot long aren’t unknown to this build, that’s for sure.
The interior is kept clean and comfortable with the stock Recaros, but the steering wheel has been swapped with a Vertex that’s perfect for spirited drives. A Likewise shift knob and NRG hub are also extra additions, in addition to the AEM gauges used for monitoring.
What’s important to know about this build is that when Javier was in the third grade, his neighbor happened to have a world rally blue STi. He was blown away by it and vowed one day to own something similar. Fast forward to today and now he’s already made it big-time.
“Keep dreaming, and reach for your goals. If you work hard enough, it’ll happen,” Javier said. “Don’t let anything stop you.”
